Do you think parents should teach their kids how to count calories?

Lounmoun

cturner1967 wrote: »

SusanMFindlay wrote: »

That's nice in theory, but some people don't get the normal "you're full" signals due to hormonal issues.

Yes, great in theory. Thank you Susan for your comment.

xmichaelyx wrote: »

Obese child = abusive parent.

I hope that you remove your comment. It is incredibly hurtful and insensitive.

Does anyone here actually have children with weight-related health issues? I do. I have a child who grows twice as fast as other children and who is carrying +40 lbs too much at 10 years old. We are desperately trying to get to the bottom of it. She is starving all the time and eats healthier than all of her peers. We have been to doctors and are working with a personal trainer to try to get a calorie deficit.

My teen dd is underweight and needs to gain some weight.
She needs more calories than I do. Knowing calories of food/drinks and having a definite healthy calorie goal is helpful in our case too instead of vaguely saying eat healthy and exercise. If she was always at a healthy weight it would probably seem less necessary to count calories. If she were younger then she would probably just be eating what I hand her. I would keep track of calories and we wouldn't talk about tracking calories as much with her. As a teen who can obtain her own food/drinks and will be on her own in a couple of years though I think she needs to know how to maintain a healthy weight and take more responsibility. She knows I keep a food diary for my weight management so it isn't a crazy shameful concept. She probably won't need to track calories forever but knowing how to determine her own calorie needs and tracking diet/exercise is a valuable tool she can come back to as needed.

There seems to be a fear that children will not be able to use the knowledge appropriately and be harmed even though in reality an adult teaching calorie counting to a child would likely be working with them to choose appropriate goals and provide guidance.

CSARdiver

Absolutely and we are slowly introducing our kids to this, particularly on how much kids need to eat to maintain growth and healthy development. We are teaching them how to set goals, establish strategic plans, tactical implementation and goal resetting.

There is nothing intuitive to hunger and eating to maintain a set weight. Calorie counting makes for an excellent tool to accomplish goals.

quiksylver296

Yes. I've already shown my son my food scale and how to calculate a serving. Too many people have no clue.

I'm teaching him how to balance his bank account, too. Same thought process.

cwolfman13

Age appropriate nutritional information? Sure. Physically counting calories and logging...no. I'm just trying to picture my 7 and 5 year old keeping a food diary...and frankly, the number calorie counting ultimately did to my head I'd be pretty leery about doing that to a kid.

My kids have a good general grasp of many aspects of nutrition and they see how mom and dad eat and they see us exercise and they are active, etc. They both eat when they're hungry and are done when they've had enough.

Momepro

Weighing and knowing portion sizes is fine, but unless there's a weight issue, counting calories doesn't seem the best option for growing kids. Especially since they have a tendency to go through phases where they need a ton of extra calories for a few days to support a growth spurt, and those can be kind of unpredictable.

WJS_jeepster

I am doing many things differently than my parents (clean your plate, only eat at mealtimes, very limited treats). We've had several discussions about the connections between food and energy supply, eg we eat to fuel our bodies so they can grow properly and so that we have enough energy to run around and play.

We have chips, cookies, candy and ice cream in the house almost all the time and they can have some if they ask and it's an appropriate time for a snack. Either I got lucky and they just naturally aren't interested or its working how I hoped and they don't view treat-food as an opportunity to gorge themselves. They mostly aren't interested.

I've explained how calories work and how eating more than they need leads to storage as fat and less than they need as leading to low energy and loss of muscle in general terms. So far we haven't gone beyond the concepts.

stealthq

Depends on the kid. Depends on the age. Depends on the situation. They should know it by the time they graduate high school, but specifically is a good time to learn it would differ.

I wouldn't teach it to a kid that's displaying any degree of obsession over his/her body. Which means I don't think smack in the middle of pubescence is a good time for it for most. There are always exceptions. If the kid's advanced enough, I'd teach it earlier, if not I'd wait until they get past the worst of the raging hormones and excessive body consciousness.

The exception would be if the kid's weight is putting their health at risk (including mental health). In that case, I'd teach them regardless of age and view it like teaching them about any disease treatment. Not necessary unless they are diagnosed, but if they are, knowledge helps a kid through the process. Gives them more of a sense of involvement and control. And I would hope that someone is intervening in that case.

Fitforevermore

I thought about this as I didn't want to give my kid a complex. But why wouldn't you give a child all the information about food. I explained about equivalent energy content. I.e. You could choose a croissant, it has the same energy gn it as a glass of juice, yoghurt, some fruit and honey and a piece of toast etc. Then they can make informed choices. Not counting calories per se, but understanding food and making informed choices.

Packerjohn

sugaraddict4321 wrote: »

Heather4448 wrote: »

I think nutrition classes should be a mandatory part of health education in middle and high schools. It could be tied in to math/science SOL's. Personally, I would have benefited greatly by receiving a non-judgmental, science based approach to ci/co.

Great idea, except when the nutrition classes give bad info. I was raised in the "butter = bad, margarine = good, and fat makes you fat" era. We went over the food pyramid and all that stuff. A few decades on the recommendations have changed.

xmichaelyx wrote: »

No, but you should teach them to eat sensibly.

Obese child = abusive parent.

Disagree. I think many times obese child = parent that doesn't know much about nutrition. Not knowing and not caring are different things, at least to me.

At one time it was taught the earth was flat because that was the best information available. Scientific information will change as more research is done. No reason not to learn the current thinking.

wackyfunster

Should we teach our kids how to budget? Adding up numbers is really emotionally charged and controversial! Personally, I think we should just teach healthy spending habits... if you teach kids how to balance a checkbook and save and invest money, you might give them some kind of a complex or psychological disorder!

Iheartrunning36

Educating your children in nutrition is the right and responsible thing to do. With young children you can have them color in a food guide pyramid to learn about serving sizes for kids and its a great conversation starter to what fruits and veggies are and it helps you understand your childdren's unique taste. Sugar should be addressed and talked about as well as moderation and what that is. Keeping our bodies healthy--never too young to learn. Calories are just a small part of the big picture and as kids grow you can get more in depth including the chemistry behind what your body is doing and how it breaks down proteins, carbs and lipids.

everher

I don't think it matters either way.

I started counting calories at 11 or 12. I was overweight and my mother (and doctor) were okay with me counting calories. I lost the weight, but years later I gained weight. Then, this started a yo-yo cycle of me losing and regaining weight.

So here's the thing: counting calories doesn't fix whatever is causing a child/teen/adult/whoever to be overweight/obese. I've pretty much always understood about calories, but counting calories and knowing how to do so is a tool for losing weight.

It doesn't address the problems that cause the weight gain. I think this is why a lot of people regain weight they've lost. It's not enough to understand how to lose weight or maintain it. You have to address the issue that is causing the weight gain in the first place.

inertiastrength

I don't think I'd personally have my 7 and 9 yo tracking their days but I do have a 'sometimes' cupboard where my kids get to pick 150 cals of candy or cookies from each day of the weekend. Some people think it's crazy, but I don't see it as much different than giving them $20.00 to spend at the Flea Market once a month. They look at all the stuff they can get with what they have, and they spend according to their tastes. I think I'm teaching them a life skill but I can see why people (especially on a weight loss forum) would see it as negative.

SezxyStef

teaching them about healthy foods and nutrition is one thing...but "Healthy" foods can make you fat too.

Teaching them to read food labels is important.
Teaching them what a "serving" represents is important.
Teaching them how to maintain their weight is important.

If you teach them these things they won't have to count calories or need to know how.

WJS_jeepster

wackyfunster wrote: »

Should we teach our kids how to budget? Adding up numbers is really emotionally charged and controversial! Personally, I think we should just teach healthy spending habits... if you teach kids how to balance a checkbook and save and invest money, you might give them some kind of a complex or psychological disorder!

Now that I think about it, I talk to my kids about money pretty much the same was as about food. You have amounts that you choose how to spend or save, and you overall keep track of surpluses and deficits.

justkris_gettingfit

Seeing how all mine are under the age of 10, the idea of having them count calories is insane. I do however talk to them about the food choices they make and what serving sizes are, be it when I'm making their food, or when they watch me make my own.

As for the comment "obese child = abused child" , wow! You must be a peachy person to have a conversation with.

stealthq

everher wrote: »

I don't think it matters either way.

I started counting calories at 11 or 12. I was overweight and my mother (and doctor) were okay with me counting calories. I lost the weight, but years later I gained weight. Then, this started a yo-yo cycle of me losing and regaining weight.

So here's the thing: counting calories doesn't fix whatever is causing a child/teen/adult/whoever to be overweight/obese. I've pretty much always understood about calories, but counting calories and knowing how to do so is a tool for losing weight.

It doesn't address the problems that cause the weight gain. I think this is why a lot of people regain weight they've lost. It's not enough to understand how to lose weight or maintain it. You have to address the issue that is causing the weight gain in the first place.

But again, it depends on the individual. There are plenty of people that gain weight simply because their activity level decreases and they fail to compensate by eating fewer calories. I fit in this category. No issues to fix other than eating a more moderate diet. No particular drive to overeat other than 'hey, that looks tasty'.

Also, some might not develop deeper issues with food if they were taught how to recognize appropriate eating habits early on. I don't think anyone would argue that this would fix everything, though. As long as people have food abundantly available, there will always be some that overeat.

leanitup123

SezxyStef wrote: »

teaching them about healthy foods and nutrition is one thing...but "Healthy" foods can make you fat too.

Teaching them to read food labels is important.
Teaching them what a "serving" represents is important.
Teaching them how to maintain their weight is important.

If you teach them these things they won't have to count calories or need to know how.

Agree. I think the important thing is to teach them a healthy balance, serving sizes, etc.

Seffell

My son is 16 and most days he runs a quick estimate in his head about his calories (using me as his database). He does it mainly because he is lifting and wants to bulk a bit so just makes sure he's had enough to eat.

Also he's been avoiding less nutritional foods since I got into mfp (without any interference from my side other than me being able to answer questions about nutrition)

Knowledge is power and freedom. Don't deprive your children of it.

LivingtheLeanDream

Not maybe to count calories but to be portion aware - all too often the kids are given similar size portions to the grown ups (I sort of did that myself I have to admit, but I was clueless way back).

Nutritional value would be a good idea and for kids to know that some foods are best kept to a minimum - they can be enjoyed of course, but only now and again.

People in general need educated about food imo.

Being on here really enlightened me about food/calories - I just wish younger self would have known what I know now.